Superficially this looks like a good news story but the headline statistics should be considered more carefully. Are they finding the right jobs that match their skills, competencies and behaviours or just finding a job that helps them reduce their debt? Do they engage with the employer brand and ensure that their is a cultural fit in an organisation where they will develop and grow?
Research like this is trying to do a ra ra for student recruitment but this is the start of the rest of their lives for these recruits and bad decisions could haunt them for years to come. My children are grown up and at work but neither received great careers advice at university, they were not steered towards roles or organisations where they would be developed and a great fit. Fortunately they have both landed in roles/companies that are right but not by design.
I see less effort going into the graduate recruitment market not more, it’s all about diversity (not a bad thing) but that’s just one angle. This is the livelihoods of the next generation we are considering so are we all happy that we are doing the best for them?
The unemployment rate for graduates six months after leaving university fell to 5.1% this year, the lowest since the 1979 survey when it was 4.9%, according to a study from Prospects, a provider of skills, education, care and support. Prospects’ data also found that employment increased from 74.2% to 76.6% (184,295) as 4,540 more graduates found jobs compared to last year. The proportion of employed graduates in professional-level roles also increased, from 71.4% to 73.9%. Skills shortages across many industries appear to have helped job prospects with increases in those entering professional jobs across all degree subjects. More graduates qualified in high demand subjects, such as IT, engineering, accountancy and marketing, went into their vocationally linked roles as a result.
